Flying on My Feet
by XZ10
Summary: Maximum Ride, Flock High's star cross country runner, has just qualified for the Regional Hike-a-thon. The only problem? She doesn't know what it is! Once there, though, she meets her teammate, Fang. What happens in the wilderness'll be hard to tell. FAX!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

** This story holds the same characters, and I'll try to keep them acting like that, although the plot is completely different. RnR? Please?**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

I was flying. Well, not literally. In reality, I was sprinting the home stretch in my school cross country meet. No one was in front of me, not even the guy runners who had started two minutes earlier than me. I'd run right by them with a split-second grin and comet-like speed. Maximum happiness there, let me tell you.

I could see the finish line only a few yards ahead. I put on the extra speed, and barreled right over it. Everyone from my school in the stands raced down to meet me as I gasped for breath.

"Ten minutes?" I heard a familiar voice shriek. "Ten freaking minutes to run _three and a half miles?"_

I smiled as I was crushed in a hug by none other than Nudge, my best friend. She was crushing the air outta me, and I needed all the air I could get after that run.

"Nudge…" I gasped. She looked at me sweetly, her brown eyes happy and confused. "Dying, can't… breath…" I managed, attempting to struggle from her vise-like grasp.

"Oh, shit!" she gasped, releasing me, and I dropped to the hard-packed ground only to be raised up again on my school's shoulders.

"Yeah, Max!" one of the guys holding me aloft said, and I grinned widely, relishing this up in the air and winning thing.

"Won this competition for Flock High yet again, Speedy," another holder-of-Max guy congratulated me as my little group proceeded to the stage to watch the other racers file in. I knew we'd have to wait a little while. Okay, a _long_ while.

My carriers lowered me to the ground and I laughed and slapped high-fives with everyone, gasping no more. My entire mini-sized school filed onto the stage as I took my seat next to the prize-awarder-guy.

"Hey!" I said happily, facing the announcer guy.

"Congratulations," he replied, completely unenthusiastically, and promptly left his seat to walk away from me. Some people.

Nudge ran up to me yet again, this time with a water. Yes, water! The drink of the runners! I gulped the whole thing in one sip while Nudge took the announcer's seat, chattering animatedly about my performance.

"And then, through the woods I saw you give your grin to those guys and I was like, 'OMG, Max is just too much!'"

I smiled at my friend, laughing as she described my 'super amazing wickedly fantabulous' performance. Her words, not mine.

I looked over her head at the line, a strawberry-blond head was coming at it full-speed.

"Nudge!" I yelled, hopping down the stage, ignoring the questioning glances from onlookers. "It's Ig, c'mon we gotta go congratulate him!"

James, 'Iggy' Mitchel, the best guy runner on the team and my practice-partner, was running across the finish line, wheezing, his ears straining to hear where the most noise was coming from. Contrary to most beliefs, Iggy's blind, yet he's the fastest (other than me, of course) runner on Flock High's cross country team. Makes ya think, it really does.

Just as he flopped over the finish, exhausted, I heard the not-so-kindly announcer call our names, probably hoping to just finish this whole ordeal. I mean, at how many meets do they give awards before there is even a third placeman? Not many, let me tell you.

I climbed the stairs back up onto the stage, bowing dramatically to the gathered crowd. I'm practically famous in my town, Flock, if you couldn't tell.

The announcer handed Iggy and me our medals and ushered an Itex Township runner up onstage. Guess he was third.

After all the award stuff was over, the announcer totally shocked me. Like, completely.

"Maximum Ride, our first placeman,"

"Fist place_woman_," I corrected sweetly.

He shrugged and continued. "Right, first place_woman _from Flock High has qualified for the Regional Hike-a-thon, which will be held next month!"

The audience clapped, the Itex students booed. I could just stand there, my mouth hanging wide open, one thing playing over and over in my head: _Um, what?_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own the awesomeness that is Maximum Ride.**

**Also, yes, there is Mylan in this chapter, because I was bored. But, I promise you that there will be Fax later on... but who will win the ultimate battle for Max's heart? I don't know! And neither will you unless you review! *insert evil laugh***

**But, anyway, I'd like to thank everyone that commented on "Flying on My Feet" so far! If you get bored waiting for me to update this, check out my other 'fic, "Swapped."**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Okay, so what I learned about the Hike-a-thon after my brain-dead moment were these things:

1) It's a cross-state hike/run type-thing where you have a pack, some supplies, and a partner.

2) It takes place through the freaking forest, near a mountain, across a lake… like a triathlon almost, sorta.

3) Both you _and_ your stranger of a partner have to cross the finish line for your team to win.

4) Your partner could be a rapist. It's happened apparently, as nice announcer guy kindly pointed out while explaining the race. Yay.

So, yes. I was so very excited for this hike. Not. I only had a month to train, and in two weeks I met my designated partner. Then we trained together.

One of the reasons I was not so psyched about this whole thing is that if I didn't do well, I'd be letting all of Flock down. I'd be ruining our running reputation, the only thing we can really have pride in, since our school program pretty much sucks and our other sports have athletes that may as we be broken in every way.

But, enough of the sulking. I mean, c'mon, I'm Maximum Ride. I'm the best runner Flock has _ever_ seen, one of only ten people from my district to ever qualify for something as huge as the Hike-a-thon. Not only that, but a newly graduated Flock High student will be helping me train until I meet my partner. His name's Dylan, and Nudge, stalker that she is, looked him up and told me that he is a 'smoking blond burger that she'd gladly put on her favorite grill.' No joke, she seriously said that.

Which is why, I was running the highschool track with Dylan while he lectured me about my pace, my arm swings, my breathing, blah blah blah…

Finally, I snapped. "I _know_ all of this, Dylan. I've been running my entire life!"

Dylan, eighteen-year-old runner extraordinaire, looked at me sharply. "Don't…" he began, but then he sighed and laughed, slowing to a jog next to me while I did the same.

"I guess you're right, Maximum," he said, punching my shoulder lightly in that way that guys have. "Actually, you're one of the best runners I've ever seen, pro or minor."

"Really?" I asked, sort of shocked. I judged his blue eyes carefully for confirmation, or to see if he was lying. People do that sometimes, you know. Lie to make you feel good about yourself. Pfft. Those are the people without lives, ladies and gentlemen.

"Really," Dylan replied, taking a step towards me, a quirky smile lighting up his features.

"Um… wow." And that was just what I was thinking about my little oral mess-up there. Um, Earth to Max! Your less-than-fantastic brain has just blown any chance Dylan had of thinking you were capable of English!

Dylan smiled again, and he was even closer. Apparently, he'd been stepping towards me while I had my little argument with myself. Oh jeez. Note to self: never say that out loud. People will think you're insane.

"Max, you are amazing. I watched you run four miles straight without getting too worked up and sweaty. I watched your confidence when I moved you into the off-road cross-country course-"

"Um yeah, I run that for my meets-" But my declaration was cut off as Dylan, the hot hot _hot_ college boy, kissed me.

Oh gosh, it was amazing. We'd both stopped walking and we just stood there, making out. It went from a tiny little kiss to a full-out make out in like thirty seconds. He put his hands around my waist, and I clasped mine behind his neck. Mmm, his lips tasted like fresh apples and some other unidentifiable thing. But it was good, and I never wanted it to end.

Yet, it did. I mean, when the caretaker of the school grounds came out and saw us, he sort of waved his rake and yelled, 'Dang kids with their kissin' and their stompin' on my grass!' So we took that as our queue to go.

Once I was by my car, Dylan kissed me again, shorter this time. I giggled, which was _so _unlike me. But then I realized…

I barely knew this guy! This was our second training session! What was I _thinking?_

I looked up into his blazing blue eyes and looked down again. He tilted my chin up until I had to look back up at him.

"What's up, Max?" he asked, still smiling.

"I don't think this'll work out, Dylan, I mean, I barely know you…" I trailed off sheepishly. I felt like such a bad person. Mean, selfish, yodda yodda…

"Sure it will," Dylan answered cockily, and he pretty much changed my mind when he kissed me yet again. I got into my car a little daze, half worrying that I would end up in an accident, half dreamily imagining Dylan.

Said person waved as I drove away from the school track, mind whirling. Wait until I told Nudge about my second day of Hike training.


End file.
